This invention relates to a new and improved infeed disc having a particularly advantageous application to a double disc refiner, with reference to which it will be herein described, but only by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.
The art of double disc refining has long been plagued by problems in the refining process stemming from the development of large amounts of steam between the refining surfaces of the opposed discs. The steam so developed tends inherently to back flow into the eye of the double disc refiner and to interfere with and even block incoming material seeking to reach the disc refining surfaces.
In conventional double disc refiners the material to be refined is directed to the disc refining surfaces by way of passages of its infeed disc. When the material flow is interfered with or blocked, it causes undesirable variations in motor load and adversely affects the quality of the stock produced by the refiner.
In the study of the aforementioned problems which resulted in the present invention it was determined that heretofore infeed discs have been required to have an ability to operate either in a clockwise or in a counter clockwise direction and to have spokes each of which is generally symmetrical about its axial center line and radial thereto. It was unexpectedly subsequently found that a change in the form and character of the spokes and thereby the material infeed passages could materially contribute to the elimination of the aforementioned problems.